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symmetrical party because the machine work lends itself to symmetry and partly because symmetry lends itself to showing off some of the finer aspects of doing that kinds of work, so it kind of works both ways for me. I’m definitely one of those artists who is drawn to the balancing act of trying to create an interesting form or composition that still obeys some kind of logic and adheres to self imposed rules of symmetry and how things can fit. I’m still very interested in that aspect of the work, but I’ve moved away from it pretty much. None of those images are on the site anymore.
J: Do you find yourself limited in terms of scale with the equipment you use? Are you able to do large scale pieces or do you have to outsource them? C: I don’t currently do anything very large scale. The largest thing I have done is 4 or 5 ft tall. The process is somewhat limiting in the size of work you can do and I’ve considered larger scale work but some of the issues I have with that would be that it would change the process used to make it. It would no longer be a reductive process, but rather more of a fabrication from sheet metal or something like that. Since I get a lot of my ideas and the catalyst for a lot of my designs in the process itself, and different operations I might use in a design, it would almost betray my own aesthetic to make it work because it would change the process to do it. It’s not something I’ve ruled out but it would change the work and process on some level. I don’t mind making the smaller work. I like the intimacy of making the tangible size work you can handle and hold, and I’m comfortable with that at this point. But I certainly don’t want to shut any doors.
J: You’ve been at this for a long time, Chris? C: About 10 years. I’m 31 so I have a long way to go. I’m at the point now where I’ve been building my own tools, my own CNC equipment, for a little while now. I’m now comfortable enough with my process that I feel like I have a wide grasp of everything I can do and have reached a level of competence.
J: Tell me about your creative process. Where do the ideas come from? How do you put it into being? Do you work with 3D programs on your CNC machine? Or how do you actually move from conception to finished piece? C: Typically the trials and tribulations of making one sculpture will inevitably give me a kernel of an idea for the next sculpture so I operate in that mode a lot. To explain that a bit better, machine work is one of those things where every process is a new opportunity to learn something. To make one specific shape you may have to build a whole new tooling set or take apart your machine and
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